Wharton vs. CAS/Internal Transfer

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>If you're looking to apply to the College at Penn and do an internal transfer into Wharton, I made this post for you as an insider's guide into the process.</p>

<p>My advice... don't </p>

<p>I'm not being arrogant, but I want to help high school seniors with an honest opinion from a current undergrad.</p>

<p>First off, the one characteristic that every great businessman/woman shares is that they know how to go after what they want. As a current undergrad at Wharton, I know one lesson you learn here, and at many other great B-schools, is that being confident and bold is essentially what makes a great leader. You should develop that trait now and apply to the Wharton school at Penn if that's what you want, and not try to sneak in. You won't be truly great at anything if you're always trying to sidestep your way in. It is demeaning to our College Econ program, which ranks top 10 in the nation.</p>

<p>The Econ program in the College is very intense and amazing. It gives you a very in depth understanding into global markets and how micro and macro economics work. I've been envious of some of the College's econometric classes, as a rising senior, that I don't have time to take.</p>

<p>The dual degree/internal transfer application is designed with an essay to specifically weed out kids who try to outsmart the process. If you have the idea that you will apply to the College, work super hard, and then get in through a back door, you should drop that idea now. I don't mean to be harsh, but I am being honest. The kids here at Penn, in all four undergrad programs, are ridiculously smart. The freshmen undergraduate class every year is full of valedictorians, salutatorians, and national AP and merit scholars. So not only do you have an essay to worry about, but the crazy fierce competition you will have to endure just to qualify for the essay.</p>

<p>I have a friend who tried to sneak in. The chances of you making it in are really slim, especially considering your competition. If you thought you were the only one who had that 'brilliant' idea, you're mistaken. From drunken conversations with that friend, who applied three times and was rejected on all three attempts, studying in the College while eyeing the business program is torture. She told me she'd rather have went to UChicago, where she was accepted, if she knew what she does today about the backdoor thing. She's very smart by the way; she got a 2240 on her SATs and a perfect score on her Math SAT II. </p>

<p>Why she would go to UChicago over our College, I personally don't understand. I think our College should rank up there with Princeton and Stanford, considering the intelligence and competitiveness of the undergrads. </p>

<p>Both the College Econ major and the business school are really great. You're not outsmarting the system. Many before you have tried and failed. The main difference if you sincerely are trying to decide between the two comes down to a factor of personal preference. </p>

<p>If you enjoy analyzing global markets and understanding complicated economic theories, as well as being able to predict the growth of an economy for analysis sake - you should try and get in to the College (that's no cakewalk either btw)</p>

<p>If you enjoy learning how to manage people and do hands on business work, such as making presentations in groups, doing work in specific markets like health care or finance, and learning business skill sets - you should apply to Wharton</p>

<p>I have friends who enjoy being in both, and we all look forward to entering the job market thanks to the great education going to PENN has given us. </p>

<p>Please stop differentiating between Wharton and the rest of Penn, it's frustrating even as a Wharton undergrad. We are PENN, one name, one school!</p>

<p>Good luck with your applications and admissions decisions!! Hopefully this article will help you with your choice.</p>

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<p>Thank you for this post. Any time anyone ever posts a thread on this board asking about this question, I’m going to link them to this.</p>

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<p>^ I agree–excellent post. Probably should be stickied. :)</p>

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<p>^Do you know how to get it stickied? I don’t think the mods of this board are even on CC anymore lol.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the comments. Please help spread this message because too many potential applicants don’t really know what they’re getting into. You should live life boldly and believe in yourself before anyone else does. </p>

<p>There are kids I know who didn’t get in with 3.9s because their essays weren’t convincing enough, despite the fact that even I helped look over them. The business school should certainly attract a type - those confident and brave enough to go after what they desire head on. </p>

<p>Because of the way applicants misunderstand this, there’s a rift in the Penn community. College Econ majors who actually prefer the theoretical study get worried about not being “Wharton,” despite the fact that they study at one of the best Econ departments in the country.</p>

<p>Due to this, another one of my friends who got in as a transfer currently hates his line of study, but is continuing to do it instead of his original College Econ choice just because the “Wharton” name is a brand in itself.</p>

<p>Another frustrating thing as a Wharton student is that although at first I enjoyed the “Wharton” only apparel at the bookstore my freshman year - such as the t-shirts, sweatshirts and book-bags - I now find it disturbing that we assert only one school’s morale over the other three. I know some of my business friends feel this way, despite the vast majority totally embracing this dilemma because it signifies their accomplishment of getting in.</p>

<p>I love the business school, but more than that I really love PENN. I wouldn’t love the school the way I do if I didn’t have Engineering, College, and Nursing friends. On campus there are a diversity of kids that make it such a great place to study - premed, theoretical Econ, pre-law, undecided, business oriented, and ridiculously courageous engineering students. Being surrounded by such a diverse array of intellect and passions is what makes our school astounding and attractive - Intellectual Diversity. I have major respect for all the engineers as they have the most intellectually challenging work. </p>

<p>You can do business with a College Econ degree. It’ just as good as going to Harvard or UChicago for Econ. There really is a value to theoretical Econ that goes under appreciated at Penn, and not at places like Harvard and UChicago where there is no undergraduate business school. So our Econ is “beta,” despite being an equally great department. </p>

<p>Penn should be up ranked NUMBER ONE or at least tied for third out of all undergrad institutions. Our business school and nursing school are both the best in the country in their respective rankings. Our engineering school is also top 15, and our College is underrated but full of a myriad of passionate students.</p>

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<p>^ And the College is also home to lots of top-10 and top-20 liberal arts departments–as many as or more than are found at schools like Columbia, Brown, Duke, etc. And yet the assumption often expressed on College Confidential is that for a liberal arts student, those schools are superior to Penn. Never mind that Penn’s College has as many liberal arts students–if not more than–those other schools; and that Penn has top-10, world-class departments in fields like Anthropology, Art History, Classics, Criminology, Economics, English, History, Linguistics, Music, Religion, Romance Languages, and Sociology (and top-20 departments in various other fields like Math, Psychology, Physics, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry). Not to mention that, unlike liberal arts students at those other schools–or even at HYPS–undergrads in Penn’s College have unfettered access to courses in the top-ranked Wharton and Nursing Schools, and in Penn’s highly-ranked graduate schools of Law, Design, Communication, Education, and Social Policy and Practice.</p>

<p>Bottom line: Penn offers an undergraduate liberal arts program equal to–and with potentially much greater breadth and depth than–the other Ivies and top schools. Unfortunately, for too many who post here on CC, Penn’s many diverse strengths are grossly oversimplified to Wharton and “pre-professionalism.”</p>

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<p>The same topic just came up like 3 times so I’m going to bump it.</p>

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<p>What about CAS and then transfer to SEAS? I am interested in engineering but my school lacks classes like AP calc and physics and my ECs and background are not science or engineering-focused. I want to study Econ at Penn but I might also want to do CS, I am still not sure yet. </p>